Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-03-17
A Poor Showing.

The investigation into the election
methods in Texas makes poor showing
for Mr. Grsdy's New South" In fact
it demonstrates that there has been no
change in the south, so far as election
methods are concerned, since the time
when Republicans approached the bal
lot boxes at the risk of their lives. The
same old bulldozing. negro>shooting,
MISUNDERSTANDING practices were in
vogue at the last election in the counties
in Texas undergoing investigation as in
Louisiana. South Carolina and other
southern states 10 1915. 1t would be
the same, and is the same, 10 other
southern states now whenever Repub-
licans attempt to carry an election. The
peace that we hear so much about in
Georgia and other states is the peace
of the lamb inside the lion.
In six congressional districts in Geor'
gia at the last election the Republicans
we're credited with casting S3 votes. In
the enti 9 state, sending ten representa-
tives to tue House Of Representatives,
the opposition to the Democratic party
at the last election, including Republi-
cans and Independents of all descrip-
tions, was credited with casting only
2,OS3 votes, an average Of less than 209
votes for each district. To explain this
phenomenal condition of things, south
ern Democrats say that the Republicans
do not come out and vote because they
are in q hopeless minority; In q fair
election they would be 10 the majority !;
but if in hopeless minority, that would
offer no reasonable explanation. In
Vermont, where the Democrats we're
without hope of success, and where they
made no effort, they polled in the two
congressional districts 1881 votes, or
about seven the veto cast by the Repub-
licans in the ten districts of Georgia.
In the IVth district of Maine, which is
hopelsssly Republican. and the Demo
Gratis protesting no chance Of carrying
the state. they polled 1906 votes at the
last election. or nearly seven times the
entire Republican vote in the ten dis.
tricts of Georgia.
Mr. Turner. of Georgia. in speech in
the House q short time ago, asserted
that the citizens of New England were
becoming so destitute of patriotic i'm
pulses that very soon they will have to
be paid to celebrate the Fourth of July.
And yet we find that in ten Republican
districts in New England at the last
election, including Maine and Vermont,
the aggregate vote cast was 294.0S9. In
the ten districts of Georgia the total
vote was 1858, or considerably less
than in one district in New England.
The total Republican vote in the ten
Georgia districts was 1850. The total
Democratic votr in the ten New Eng
land districts WAS 12I.OS0. 1t takes
over ten times as many votes to elect u
congressman IN New England as in
Georgia. Either the voters of Georgia
are not allowed to exercise the right of
suffrage, or there is such decadence of
interest in the matter as to indicate that
the people their will soon have to be
psid to vote or there will be no voting.
The truth is these figures cannot be
explained in any way consistent with a
free ballot and fair count The peo-
pie of the North will speed the time
when we have new south in fact as
we'll as in name. But the change can
only come through a repudiation of all
wrongful election methods and prose
cution for opinions sake. such as the
testimony now being taken shows to
exist in Texas, and as the election
6gures demonstrate still prevails in
Georgia.-N Y Tribune.